The Prodigal Return
by Scathac
Summary: After Sherlock returns from the fall, Squish and John need time to adjust. Even after normality returns, the past still needs to be faced. M for language and violence, sequel to Family Life, all comments welcome


_Hi there guys welcome to my new story, it's a sequel to my previous story family life and while it's not essential to read that first, I recommend you do. This is unbetaed so please excuse any mistakes, and I love to hear your thoughts even if you hate it. Enjoy. I don't own any of these characters except my OCs_

The rain lashed down on Baker Street and drained the colour to a dark misty grey. Men and women scurried to hide in doorways or under umbrellas, mothers scooped their children into prams or grabbed their hands and tugged them homewards. The cluster of the homeless huddled closer to their doorways, and in small groups whispered in a manner that seemed sinister to any passerby that looked up from their busy little lives long enough to see.

And Sherlock Holmes' daughter walked down the street.

Squish turned her coat collar up against the rain and walked a little quicker, ignoring the splash of puddles that spilled over her socks and into her shoes. She reached 221B and hurriedly opened the door, shivering as icy cold water slipped its fingers, passed her collar and down her neck.

Mrs Hudson appeared out of her flat as the door slammed closed and immediately began to fuss.  
"Well look at the state of you!" she clucked and practically manhandled the girl out of her coat, " I should of known you'd need an umbrella, and now look. Wet through and shivering!"  
"Mrs Hudson." Squish tried to interject  
"Go on up dear and I'll bring up some tea and scones in a minute"  
"Mrs Hudson"  
"Well I don't know, nowadays it's always raining and never a taxi when you need..."  
"Mrs Hudson!" Squish shouted, the elderly lady stopped talking for a minute and looked a little affronted.  
"Is John back yet?" Squish asked as she gently took her coat back off the woman, "only the courts were meant to pass their verdict today? On the case against Kitty Riley?"

Mrs Hudson smiled and sighed kindly, "No dear he's not back yet but there's some news coverage on at..." She stopped as the girl whizzed past her up the stairs

"Thanks Mrs Hudson" came the call and Marie Hudson smiled sadly to herself and walked back into her flat to put a tray together for her young tenant.

Squish threw her coat in the direction of the hanger and flung herself at an armchair facing the television, she switched it on and flicked to the news. The scene on the screen flicked from one of a burning warehouse to one of man in a suit.

"That's the latest on the explosion at a warehouse in Belfast. Now to the main story in the headlines at the moment. The court case of Sherlock Holmes against leading journalist Kitty Riley"  
The picture flicked to the court of London and a reporter outside began to talk.

"Eighteen months have passed since the disgraced detective Sherlock Holmes took his own life after evidence came to the public's attention, that outed the detective as a fraud. Evidence put together by leading newspaper journalist, Kitty Riley"

"Like hell is she a leading journalist" Squish murdered as she reached for the remote and turned the sound up for the benefit of Mrs Hudson who was walking up the stairs. The man on the screen continued speaking.

"However many fans of the detective refused to believe this evidence. A campaign spearheaded by the late detective's daughter and ex-partner John Watson have led to this long awaited court case."

The shot changed to pictures captured earlier in the day of John and Lestrade entering court.

"The 'I believe in Sherlock' campaign has steadily been growing in both support and stature over the last six months and events are now reaching their conclusion. The campaign claims to have discovered new evidence that proves the detective's innocence and is now demanding that the newspapers and the journalist, they view as responsible for Holmes' death be forced to print an apology and a retraction."

Both women's attention flicked away from the screen as they heard the front door burst open and Squish stood up anxiously, her brown eyes calculating and cold as John Watson entered the room.

His short hair was dripping with the rain and he looked leeched of colour as the sleepless nights caught up with him. He collapsed into a chair, and closed his eyes for a second. But when he opened them again, a grin split his face in two.

"We won" he said simply and then very nearly suffocated under the hugs of Mrs Hudson and Squish.

"Ok, ok" he said "air would be good about now"

"Sorry John", Squish began dancing round the room, knocking over folders and crashing into furniture but not caring in her happiness, " though how they could not have found in our favour I don't know"

"This is the system that set Moriarty free" John said quietly, and Squish stopped dancing and looked very sad and serious. She placed a hand on John's shoulder and squeezed.

"A mistake that has been partially rectified today" she told him and pulled him to his feet like a child on christmas day, ' Come on, we need to go downstairs, the reporters will be here in a minute"

Her prediction was dead on, within third seconds of them getting downstairs, the street was a blaze of lights and clambering voices greeting them like old friends."John, how's it feel to beat Kitty?  
"Squish, would Sherlock be proud?"  
"John, why did it take this much effort to prove?"  
"Squish, is Moriarty still alive?"

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the press" Squish began, " John and myself would like to say that this moment could have happened much sooner if the press had been so accommodating to us eighteen months ago."

She waited for the slight awkwardness of the statement to settle down slightly, "My father as both of us will tell you was arrogant, egotistical, and generally a pain in the neck. He was also one of the greatest men I and anyone else will ever know, and now we and the rest of the supporters of our campaign are happy to know that now finally the world will accept what a good man he was as well."

The reporters began picking over each other to ask questions."How were you so sure of his innocence?" one asked, waving his microphone in her face.

Squish gave him her own special brand of Holmes glare,

"First of all let me ask you the question if I said your mother had bought drugs what would your reaction be?"

"Umm she hasn't?" the reporter said sarcastically, earning a few titters from the crowd.

"No your right she hasn't, but you should wipe your top lip before coming and interviewing people, it casts a bad impression on what is an otherwise wonderful occasion, but you prove the point that people very rarely believe that a family member has committed a crime. For most people that's incorrect but most people are idiots.

There was more laughter now, and she waited for it to die down before continuing,

"In this case I knew it was true not just because I have been kidnaped and tortured by Moriarty but also because his body was never found. How can I, the public, or the world believe in a persona that we are told provided the evidence that discredited Sherlock, when as far as we know, that person faded out of existence at the same time as Sherlock Holmes, his supposed employer. It made no sense"

"but how do..." the reporter tried to continue but Squish held up a hand

"Sorry, we're going to be moving on to someone less boring now." She pointed at someone else and they moved forward to the front.

"What kind of support did the 'I believe in Sherlock' campaign get, how did you convince people you were telling the truth."

John answered this one, "It was surprising how much support we got straight away, even people who hadn't had any contact with Sherlock himself declared their support for us because they'd seen that what he could do couldn't be faked."

The reporter still looked sceptical and John sneaked a look at his watch before continuing, "The best example I can give is of a woman who we sat near in a pub once, Sherlock deduced her to prove a point not speaking directly to her, she happened to overhear him. At the time she didn't say anything; but after she heard what happened she came forward and said that she hadn't even known where her son had been taking her until they sat down and as everything Sherlock said about her was true she couldn't believe he was a fake. It was the belief of people like her, that got us through to where we are today.

"we have time for one more question" Squish declared to the crowd, like a roman emperor opening gladiatorial games, " who doesn't look dull? You with the chest"

This woman was from a gossip magazine and her breast implants seemed to arrive ten minutes before she did, the garishness of the situation only surpassed by her bizzare shade of orange fake tan.  
"I was wondering if Dr Watson would share the day of his wedding with our readers? It has been put off for over eighteen months now and after his reconciliation with Miss Morstan, when can we expect to hear wedding bells?"

"When the best man arrives" Squish said shortly, "and thats it guys, catch you later!" She opened the door with a flourish and John made his way inside but a question from the Orange made Squish turn around.

"But who is the best man?" she screeched after them.

Squish smiled and replied before slamming the door,

"His name is Sherlock Holmes"

_Thoughts? Any suggestions are welcome and if there's anything you want to see happen in this story ask and I shall see what I can make happen. The woman that Sherlock deduces in the pub in Hound of the Baskervilles is my Aunt and i think thats pretty cool so I thought I'd include her here. There's a clue in there as to why Sherlock can return so you can take a guess in the comments, or you know wait for an update :) (Hint reviews, follows and favourites make me write quicker)_


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